The big blue experience.

big_nurse · October 28, 2011, 6:34pm

Todays work.

Walk to gym.
Usual 6 move complex warm up, 2 rounds : first at 55 lbs, second at 66lb (stalling slightly on last clean and press set at new weight)

Deadlift warm up.
132 lb 1x10
176 lb 1x5
Then meathead challenge set at body weight (around 82.9kg) so 181.5 on bar.
Done as sets of : 12 12 10, realised that i had a few seconds left and picked up again, not sure how many i got within the time–i think i got 3 more so maybe a 37 rep result.

Then had to take a break and had a think about what else i could do while i was there.

Lat pull downs
weight i think around 75kg 5x5 supersetted with decline press ups 5x6.

Finishing work : 1 dartmoor mile in 9min 13 and 206 feet ascent.

Pretty tired after that.

kpsnap · October 29, 2011, 3:13am

Were you really crazy enough to do that challenge AGAIN? You must like pain.

Nice work. And I agree with Git about stepping away from the scale.

big_nurse · October 29, 2011, 3:44am

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Were you really crazy enough to do that challenge AGAIN? You must like pain.

Nice work. And I agree with Git about stepping away from the scale.[/quote]

I did indeed do it again, didn’t feel that i had given it my best first time round, this time felt like a much better effort–really couldn’t have got much more out of the ole bod !!–well not until i have a lot more horsepower !!.

Yeah–scales : just not making any sense whatsoever. Been chewing it over and over trying to find a reason why it’s not droping real fast. Having shitty shift pattern for 2 weeks doesn’t help (cortisol problem) but i really don’t get it .

Other things are changing though and weirdly i still seem to be getting stronger–certainly on my weakest lifts and even stranger that some bits of muscle are thicker/denser eg never really had noticeable ‘arms’ (always bee like long monkey sticks) now there is definite depth and thickness in my upper arms.

Weird !!

Canada_K · October 29, 2011, 5:31am

DUDE!

A while back I wrote an article for another site. Here is an excerpt regarding the weird dead zone of fat loss where your mind starts playing tricks on you.

?When Fat Loss Turns Invisible
Fat loss is a funny game when you get into the 10-15% range. Above 15%, any fat loss looks good. Your shape improves, you get slimmer, clothes get smaller, and so on. Once you slide below 15%, the returns really diminish. You can lose a boatload of fat and it seems invisible. It?s not until you get below 10%, or even 8%, where abs start to appear, where your waistline starts to get really tight, and where veins really start to show up. So basically, there is this giant dead zone in the middle where you?re making real gains but they?re incredibly unsatisfying.

At some point during the fat loss trek, everything seemed to stall. The scale was inching downwards, but the tummy looked the same, no abs in sight. On and on the stupid diet went, and still no abs. It?s because my body was shedding fat from other, less sexy, places where I wasn?t looking, like my quads, my back and my a$$. Our bodies are funny things, and fat will come off unevenly, and not where we want. That?s the way it goes. In my case, it?s clear that my abs won?t really pop until I get down to probably 5%. Others may be luckier, but that seems to be what I have to do.

big_nurse · October 29, 2011, 8:01pm

Kent thanks.

Snaps and git …thanks.

So: step away from the scales now sir !

fr0IVIan · October 30, 2011, 5:37am

BN - just a (hopefully) fresh perspective. my dad just turned 56 and though I had just (4-5 months ago, his own fault for slacking) re-enabled him to do things like moving the A/C units back into the shed without assistance, there is no way he could do 37 reps of BW DL.

you’re doing damn well. keep it up.

Colin_Wilson · October 30, 2011, 3:39pm

[quote]Canada_K wrote:
DUDE!

A while back I wrote an article for another site. Here is an excerpt regarding the weird dead zone of fat loss where your mind starts playing tricks on you.

?When Fat Loss Turns Invisible
Fat loss is a funny game when you get into the 10-15% range. Above 15%, any fat loss looks good. Your shape improves, you get slimmer, clothes get smaller, and so on. Once you slide below 15%, the returns really diminish. You can lose a boatload of fat and it seems invisible. It?s not until you get below 10%, or even 8%, where abs start to appear, where your waistline starts to get really tight, and where veins really start to show up. So basically, there is this giant dead zone in the middle where you?re making real gains but they?re incredibly unsatisfying.

At some point during the fat loss trek, everything seemed to stall. The scale was inching downwards, but the tummy looked the same, no abs in sight. On and on the stupid diet went, and still no abs. It?s because my body was shedding fat from other, less sexy, places where I wasn?t looking, like my quads, my back and my a$$. Our bodies are funny things, and fat will come off unevenly, and not where we want. That?s the way it goes. In my case, it?s clear that my abs won?t really pop until I get down to probably 5%. Others may be luckier, but that seems to be what I have to do.
[/quote]

This really helped me today, K thank you! I’m in that dead zone right now and I was looking for an excuse to stop. Just want to say one time that I could see viens in my belly…

big_nurse · October 30, 2011, 3:53pm

Fro–cheers mate ,that was a real pick me up on a long grinding shift !!.

Kent… thanks for that.
Indeed …i think my colleagues are seeing it more objectively than i am ie face getting thinner , partner says i ‘feel’ leaner as well.

When i have a feel n squeeze it’s a bit difficult to describe but the skin’fat folds feel kind of ‘granular’ as though they are starting to break up unevenly.

The expression ‘does not compute’ has been right at the forefront for the last 2 weeks as nothing has made sense given the plan, the diet and the training !.
Something like this happenned during last years attempt (ultimately successfull) to get down from the (at least) 30%+ where i was and suddenly stalled for a few weeks–then dropped sharply again.

Trying to stay away from the scales. !!

One measurement i did last night was my ‘instant measurement’ which is a reference to the belt from my old work trousers transferred to my new ones–that is now reefed in at a point some 11 inches less than 18 months ago–seriously need some new work trousers soon !!.

Colin_Wilson · October 30, 2011, 4:02pm

That is awesome Progress Nurse, 11 inches is mind blowing!!!

Buying new clothes as you travel down through the weight loss sucks. I am going to thrift shops one week and taking them back and donating them back two weeks later when they are too big for me again. Only costs me like 5 bucks per pair of pants…

big_nurse · October 30, 2011, 4:32pm

[quote]Colin Wilson wrote:
That is awesome Progress Nurse, 11 inches is mind blowing!!!

Buying new clothes as you travel down through the weight loss sucks. I am going to thrift shops one week and taking them back and donating them back two weeks later when they are too big for me again. Only costs me like 5 bucks per pair of pants…[/quote]

Tremendous-- a builder friend gets my cast-offs and destroys them at work !!

cavalier · October 31, 2011, 3:28pm

Nurse, I noticed your endorsement over on the the scoliosis thread, thanks.

I’m really surprised you’re getting results so quickly, never seen anything similar when I dieted down.

big_nurse · October 31, 2011, 7:08pm

[quote]cavalier wrote:
Nurse, I noticed your endorsement over on the the scoliosis thread, thanks.

I’m really surprised you’re getting results so quickly, never seen anything similar when I dieted down. [/quote]

Cav, i’m pleased you picked up on the scoliosis problem, it didn’t look as though he had an outrageous curve and it sounds like the doc was talking a load of tosh.

On the weight loss : seems totally stalled (at least that’s what the scales are saying) .Will report next week when i see a true dry weight after coming off nights.

Currently : shittiest shift rota imaginable , just did 2 on 1 off and back for 3 tonight. Feeling like utter crap today in the gym.

However : todays effort.
Walked to gym.
Warm up complex x rounds, 1 @ 55lbs 1 @ 66 lbs. Stalling on the last set of clean/push press–only got 8.

Main work : deadlift and bench paired up.
Deadlift :
132 lb 1x10
176lb 1x10
198lb 1x8
Main sets 220 lb 5x5.

Bench
BB warm up
66 lb warm up 1x10
88lb 1x10
99lb 1x8
110 1x5
110 1x15
115.5lb 4+1
115.5 4+1
121 lb 3 (this is normally my 2 rep max so getting it to 3 today quite smooth was nice)

Have to say that everything felt grindingly heavy and slow today. Despite that i did actually see a genuine small progression today in that 2 of the bench sets were at a higher weight (just a small plate addition each side) and the last set was at my usual 2 rep max and i got 3 quite smoothly.

So how i feel obviously doesn’t coaunt for much…todays insight.

Extra work today :
Dumbell flye 22lb 2 x10 (both sides0
Dumbell press 31lb 2x10
Chins 3x5
(just starting to do some extra chest work)

Post work out shake and banana.
Walk home. Really flat
Weather grey, overcast, already geting dark.
Work tonight.

Canada_K · October 31, 2011, 10:23pm

By the way, the feel of your fat will change as you get leaner. Especially if it’s “long term storage”, as in it’s been there awhile.

big_nurse · October 31, 2011, 10:44pm

[quote]Canada_K wrote:
By the way, the feel of your fat will change as you get leaner. Especially if it’s “long term storage”, as in it’s been there awhile.[/quote]

Thanks kent–that does seem to be the case, seems to be a ‘granular’ kind of feel around the abdominal fat, skin folds have gone really slack as well.

I think i have solved at least one part of the puzzle (scales not shifting) in that i had never accounted for the amount of milk that i have in a day.
Works out to quite a lot of carb calories.
Doh !!

On the plus side : one thing that was obviously a worry ie getting weaker especially in upper body doesn’t seem to have happenned in that i made a small but acceptable progression on bench–increases my confidence to keep on it.

UpScale · October 31, 2011, 10:50pm

BN your doing awesome. Take what we can get on little increases in weight!

Hope the parner is still kickin it?!

Kairiki · October 31, 2011, 10:56pm

[quote]big nurse wrote: